Ashcroft Recuses Self From CIA Leak Probe

ABC ^

[The G Man]

Update:

Ashcroft Recuses Self From CIA Leak Probe

Attorney General John Ashcroft Will Recuse Himself From Probe Into Who Leaked Name of CIA Operative

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON Dec. 30 ? Attorney General John Ashcroft will recuse himself from an investigation into who leaked the name of a CIA operative, Justice Department sources said Tuesday.

The investigation will be headed by the U.S. attorney in Chicago, Patrick Fitzgerald, who will report to Ashcroft's new deputy, James Comey, the officials said. It was not immediately clear why Ashcroft made the decision.

Investigators want to know who leaked the name of Valerie Plame, an undercover CIA officer, to syndicated columnist Robert Novak in July. Plame is married to former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, who has said he believes his wife's identity was disclosed to discredit his assertions that the Bush administration exaggerated Iraq's nuclear capabilities to build the case for war.

The leaker could be charged with a felony if identified.

Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[Liberty Valance]

The press knows who leaked the information. Pres. Bush asked them point blank to help find the leaker. We're going to spend millions of dollars to come up with a name the press already knows? Maybe the dems are trying to revive the deep throat angle.

[The G Man]

Are you saying that Steve Spurrier has (GASP!) ... resigned then???

[Steve_Seattle]

I thought Ashcroft announced from day one that he would not personally be heading this investigation, so why is this news?

[Cathryn Crawford]

Patrick J. Fitzgerald is a Bush appointee.

[Peach]

I can see that Valerie Wilson is deeply underground (snicker) considering her recent Vanity Affair picture/interview and the fact that her name is clearly listed on Wilson's bio on Google. What a farce; I'm disappointed that DoJ has fallen for the politics behind this.

[Steve_Seattle]

"The left is so desperate for some negative news about the Bush administration that they are busy manufacturing it."

Absolutely. This is the biggest non-story since the "RATS" subliminal-message story the Dems fabricated during the 2000 election.

[anglian]

Or blow your cover after the first kiss!

[mware]

This was a clear case of the reporter jumping the gun with too little info. He literally spoke it as it came over his ear piece. Did any other station make this flub except fox?

That guy from Fox is on the weekend version of Fox & Friends.

He has said more than once that he is a Democrate. The guy was salivating over the possibility that Ashcroft had resigned.

He had his chance for a big story and screwed it up.

[epluribus_2]

AND SO IT BEGINS...

[Coop]

I belive they're talking about the leak that came from at least one White House staffer in which classified human intelligence information was passed on to numerous reporters until one finally relinquished all remnants of human decency and published it.

Please educate me as to exactly what classified HUMINT info was leaked.

[Darksheare]

Welcome aboard.

I agree, I don't care who the leaker was or his affiliation.
I want him caught and strung up for screwing up like that.
We don't need people getting killed because someone wants to impress someone with how important he is and what info he's privy to.

[Steve_Seattle]

"I don't care about the political affiliation of the leaker, their job/position, or the reason behind this whole thing. What I do care about is the fact that our human intelligence capabilities could be very badly damaged by something like this."

What a bunch of rubbish. Half the people in DC knew Plame worked for the CIA - a Democrat mentioned it in casual conversation to an NRO writer before the Novak controversy erupted. Nobody's life was endangered, and Joseph Wilson has been enjoying every minute of this controversy. Do you know he and his wife recently posed for pics in "Vanity Fair"?

[Peach]

Ditto.

[Shermy]

Any bets on how soon the Novak subpoena will be issued?

Soon, I hope.

I know it doesn't help keep the story intriguing, but I thought Novak's explanation was plausible, it was so lame. Basically, three people told him. The first was the one he had a long lunch with (Ashcroft?) and the revelation was an offhand comment to an old pro. The second said "oh, you know about that" and the third was CIA, confirmed, and asked Novak not to use the name.

Novak's rationalization was that the CIA fellow should have more strongly urged him not to use the name. Novak's deflective excuse was so lame, IMO, it gave credence to story three people told him. Who knows? I also would like to see Wilson under subpoena...was he doing soliciting gold-mining business from the Niger govt. at the same time he was exonerating it from UN sanctions violations? What is his connection to the Kerry campaign?

[Freeper]

Huh? Are they talking about the supposed "leak" that came from that idiot writer about his wife who was no more that medium level pencil pusher.

B.I.N.G.O.!
How appropriate and to the point.

[The G Man]

"Whoever leaked the info needs to get canned."

I'm with you on this one.

[mware]

Fair enough, I want an investigation into the memo on the 911 National Security Committee by one of Jay Rockafella aides.

[Darksheare]

That deal was contrived.
He bragged himnself about her position.
So in that case, was there truly a 'leak' or was it manufactured by the left?

In an actual leak of intel, someone needs to be strung up for it.
In the so called "Wilson leak", there wasn't anything truly leaked intel wise.

Hmm...
So what exactly is being investigated, because now I'm kinda muddled up on this.
There's memogate where the Dems planned to leak intel for political purposes, and there's the nonevent of Wilson.

[Shermy]

Will Ashcroft recuse himself from the Hatfill investigation due to his public comments about it? He's now the defendant in a law suit...isn't there a conflict there?

[familyofman]

"What a bunch of rubbish. Half the people in DC knew Plame worked for the CIA..."

Me thinks you are stretching here - no way did 1/2 of DC know that she was a covert agent, even if they knew she worked at the CIA. If there is no there there, then why so much interest? This is not a political game being played for the amusement of the varying factions - it's real life & somebody blew the cover of an operative. Get on board & be upset with those that have no sense of value beyond scoring political points.
It doesn't matter that the screw-up that did this is a repub - just that they were blinded by trying to score points.

[Stars N Stripes]

I belive they're talking about the leak that came from at least one White House staffer in which classified human intelligence information was passed on to numerous reporters until one finally relinquished all remnants of human decency and published it.

And these "Numerous Reporters", given the chance to help their country , refuse to name the leaker? Where might be their "Human Dignity"? Not to mention their Patriotism!

[Steve_Seattle]

"I want him caught and strung up for screwing up like that."

I can't believe you're caught-up in this manufactured story. The real story is why a loose cannon like Joseph Wilson was chosen for the Niger assignment, why he conducted (by his own admission) a bullsh*t investigation, why he blabbed to the newspapers about his confidential assignment, and who in the CIA selected such an odd person for this sensitive mission. Those are the questions Robert Novak was asking, and they have been forgotten in the wake of this sideshow about Wilson's wife.

[Darksheare]

Read post 76 first.

[Steve_Seattle]

"If there is no there there, then why so much interest? This is not a political game being played for the amusement of the varying factions - it's real life & somebody blew the cover of an operative."

My comment that "half the people in DC knew" was obviously an exaggeration, but the point is that Plame's role with the CIA was no big secret, she was not in deep cover, and no one's life was threatened. This IS a political game.

[Bella]

Personally, I think we should get to the bottom of this either way. Whoever leaked the info needs to get canned.

Definitely..What's Ashcroft's tie into this? This quieted down for awhile, now back on the radar, and now this!..Something stinks..Hmmmm..

[LayoutGuru2]

I thought all was given up on this non-event - It didn't have enough Bush-bashing traction.

[prairiebreeze]

I wish we could see investigative action and DoJ interest in the Senate Intelligence Committee Memogate affair. Of far more concern than this trumped up Valerie Plame non-affair. A DNC manufactured scandal I believe.

Prairie

[prairiebreeze]

ping

[ravingnutter]

I'm sure we'll now hear how it was entirely politically-motivated.

FYI...from Oct 2003:

Last week, Wilson suggested that senior White House adviser Karl Rove may have been involved in the leak of his wife's identity. Novak said the name came from two administration officials.

Rove's ties to Attorney General John Ashcroft have led some lawmakers, including one senior Republican, to say he should consider recusing himself from the investigation. Rove was a political adviser during Ashcroft's gubernatorial and Senate campaigns in Missouri.

Asked whether Rove's relationship with Ashcroft would present a conflict of interest, senior Republican Sen. Arlen Specter said Ashcroft should consider stepping aside. Specter noted that the investigation is not directly controlled by Ashcroft, but by career prosecutors reporting to FBI Director Robert Mueller. Mueller's 10-year tenure insulates him from White House pressure.

Calls for Ashcroft to recuse himself also came from Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer of New York. Other Democrats have urged that Ashcroft name a special prosecutor to handle the case.

Schumer's press secretary said Justice Department rules hold that a federal prosecutor cannot issue subpoenas of news media phone records without the express written consent of the attorney general. Since media phone records may end up being subpoenaed, Schumer believes Ashcroft should step aside.

CNN

[Quilla]

Psssst, don't tell anybody, but here's Bond, Jane Bond.

[familyofman]

"...but the point is that Plame's role with the CIA was no big secret, she was not in deep cover, and no one's life was threatened. "

If your assertions are true (and I have no real way of proving either the positive or negative) then why is there still an investigation, probable grand jury & now a special prosecutor? Why so much action if there is no way anyone was hurt, or national security issues in question? Even political games need some substance to be played - don't they?

[prairiebreeze]

The recusal will be announced by Ashcrofts deputy. Peter Fitzgerald will handle the case.

[areafiftyone]

Patrick J. Fitzgerald

Patrick J. Fitzgerald began serving as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois on September 1, 2001. He was initially appointed on an interim basis by Attorney General John Ashcroft, succeeding former U.S. Attorney Scott R. Lassar. Subsequently, he was nominated by President George W. Bush. The United States Senate confirmed his nomination by unanimous consent on October 23, 2001, and President Bush signed his commission on October 29, 2001.

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Fitzgerald served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York for 13 years. He served as Chief of the Organized Crime-Terrorism Unit since December 1995, in addition to holding other supervisory positions during his tenure in that office.

As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Fitzgerald serves as the district's top federal law enforcement official. He manages of staff of approximately 300 people, including 149 Assistant U.S. Attorneys, who handle civil litigation and criminal investigations and prosecutions involving public corruption, white-collar fraud, narcotics trafficking, violent crime, money laundering and cybercrime.

In New York, Mr. Fitzgerald participated in the prosecution of United States v. Usama Bin Laden, et al., in which 23 defendants were charged with various offenses, including conspiracy to murder United States nationals overseas and the August 1998 bombings of the United States embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Seven defendants are in custody in the United States; three defendants are in custody in the United Kingdom; and 13 defendants are fugitives. Four defendants went on trial in January 2001 in New York, and a jury returned guilty verdicts against all four on May 29, 2001. All four were sentenced to life in prison on Oct. 18, 2001.

Mr. Fitzgerald also participated in the trial of United States v. Omar Abdel Rahman, et al., a nine-month trial in 1995 of 12 defendants who participated in a seditious conspiracy that involved the February 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and a spring 1993 plot to bomb the United Nations, the FBI building in New York, and the Holland and Lincoln tunnels, as well as a conspiracy to assassinate President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. He also supervised the case of United States v. Ramzi Yousef, et al., the 1996 prosecution of three defendants who participated in a conspiracy in the Philippines in late 1994 and early 1995 to detonate bombs simultaneously on 12 American airliners. In 1993, Mr. Fitzgerald participated in the six-month trial of United States v. John Gambino, et al., the prosecution of a Gambino crime family capo and his crew for narcotics trafficking, murder, racketeering, jury tampering and other charges.

Among Mr. Fitzgerald's awards and honors are the Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service in 2002, the Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service in 1996, and the Stimson Medal from the Association of the Bar of the City of New York in 1997. In New York, Mr. Fitzgerald's other supervisory posts were National Security Coordinator from February 1996 to January 1999 and Chief of the Narcotics Unit from January to June 1994.

Mr. Fitzgerald, 41, is a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. He joined the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan in 1988 after three years as a litigation associate at the New York law firm, Christy & Viener. He graduated from Amherst College, Phi Beta Kappa, with a bachelor's degree in economics and mathematics in 1982, and from Harvard Law School in 1985.

[anglian]

Now on msnbc!

[Eva]

Resigning and recusing are not interchangeable. Go back to DU and share your crying towel.

[Dog]

OK ...why would he recuse himself??

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Even political games need some substance to be played - don't they?

Not with our current crop of libs. For them, the less weight a story carries, the better. It's hard to disprove a big nothing. They originally threw this story up and wanted it to stick. It didn't. They're just trying it again.

[Dog]

Fox started the mistake....

[Steve_Seattle]

"Even political games need some substance to be played - don't they?"

No. See post #88. Do Wilson and his wife appear to be deeply troubled by the leak? No, they seem to be having a wonderful time basking in the publicity. This game is being played because the Dems are desperate for an issue, the press is giving the story "legs" because they're against Bush, and the Admin has to go along simply so as to not appear obstructive. DC lives by leaks, so you can figure when someone tries to make a big issue out of a particular leak, it's a political game all the way.

[prairiebreeze]

Ashcroft recused himself from another trial process since he's been AG, but darned if I can think of the circumstance. Anyway, it was the right thing for him to do because of potential conflict of interest and no huge deal in that instance.

Prairie

[BlessedBeGod]

OMG, it is that Patrick Fitzgerald. I was wondering if that was him.

[prairiebreeze]

presser starting!